Facile preparation of large-scale expanded graphite/polydimethylsiloxane composites for highly-efficient electromagnetic interference shielding

Lightweight, flexible and low-cost electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding materials with high shielding effectiveness (SE) have attracted considerable attention for next-generation portable and wearable electronics. In this work, high performance polymer composite-based EMI shielding materials are fabricated by utilizing highly oriented graphite frameworks (HOGFs) constructed via a facile intercalation-expansion of commercially available graphite papers to offer a simple and efficient approach for large-scale production. The obtained highly oriented conductive HOGF/polydimethylsiloxane (HOGF/PDMS) composites exhibit a remarkable conductivity of 21 000 S m −1 and a super-high EMI shielding value of over 96 dB in the X-band (8.2 to 12.4 GHZ) due to the multiple internal reflections caused by the long-range ordered stacking of graphite sheets. In consideration of the excellent conductivity and high electromagnetic shielding performance, along with ease and economy of mass production, the HOGF/PDMS composites demonstrate promising potential for next-generation EMI shielding materials. Highly oriented graphite frameworks are constructed via a facile intercalation-expansion process, which present excellent EMI shielding performance and scalability, showing great potential for the application of next-generation flexible electronics.